His Rebbe answered: “True, it is. But only
if it is said before eight o’clock in the morning. After eight o’clock, you
need to go out and work…”
***
Parnasa comes from Hashem. And, Hashem tells us what we need to do in order to receive it:
וברכך בכל אשר תעשה. Parnasa will
come in that which you do. Meaning, Hashem is commanding us to
make a vessel in nature, a conduit through which His blessings will reach us.
***
The Medrash teaches us that the Mon was delivered and experienced differently by each type of Jew.
The Tzadik’s portion of Mon fell right outside his tent, ready to eat.
The Beinoni had to walk some distance away from his tent to gather his portion of Mon, which he then had to bake it before eating.
The Rasha had to travel to the edge of the camp to find his Mon, which then had to be ground and baked before it could be eaten.
***
Chazal teach us that in actuality, everyone
received the same Mon, which fell right outside their tents, and was ready to
eat, as is. However, the difference between the Tzadik, Beinoni and Rasha was in
the way they reacted when assessing the blessing Hashem has given them – their reaction
being a result of their respective level of Emunah.
The Tzaddik had complete Emunah that
Hashem provides and will provide his every need. When he opened his tent in the morning and saw the Mon that Hashem has
given him, he collected it and ate it, as is. “I
am grateful for and satisfied with what Hashem has given me.”
The Beinoni, having a slighter lower level
of Emunah, was not satisfied with what he was given. He ventured out into
the camp to see if he can find something better elsewhere. When he saw
that it was all the same, he went back to his tent to eat his Mon, yet still tried to modify
it somehow by baking it. “I know that Hashem is my provider, but surely
I have some level of control on the outcome.”
The Rasha, having the lowest level of
Emunah, traveled to the far corners of the camp in the hope of finding
something more appealing than what Hashem has already given him. Seeing that what he found at the outskirts of
the camp was no different than what he was given right outside his door, he dejectedly
returned home. The Raha still gave one final effort to change his lot: he ground the Mon
and baked it before eating it. “How disappointing… I never get what I want, and after all my
efforts, nothing works out.”
***
The Rebbe writes in Hayom Yom of 4 Menachem
Av:
“No matter how much effort one will put
into his business, he will not earn even one cent more than what was ordained
for him to receive. One has to do what is necessary [to earn a livelihood] but
must remember that the work is merely a means through which the Parnasa will
come. The main thing is the blessing of Hashem…”
The smart Jew, or Tzadik, recognizes this
reality and lives a happy life knowing that beyond the Hishtadlus he is
required to make, there is nothing further he has to do or even wants to do... Hashem is his provider. Hashem knows best. Hashem gives him what he needs.
The Yetzer Hara convinces the Rasha and, to
some degree, the Beinoni as well, that Parnasa and how much one gets of it is commensurate with the investment. The more one works, the more Parnasa he will get. After all,
the Yetzer Hara argues, Hashem Himself said that you have to make a Keili in Gashmiyus… Needless to say, nothing could be further from the truth. And as the Rebbe Maharash said: making a Keili for Parnasa is like making a suit: you need sleeves,
but if you make the sleeves too long, they get in the way…
***
Let us align our efforts and endeavors with the Torah and our Tafkid and may Hashem’s blessings reach us in full
measure and in a revealed manner.
Based on a Dvar Torah by Rabbi Shmuel Kuperman, as told by Rabbi Zalman Friedman.
Based on a Dvar Torah by Rabbi Shmuel Kuperman, as told by Rabbi Zalman Friedman.
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